Letters: Another education hype

Michelle Lujan Grisham signs the oath of office to be the 32nd governor of the state of New Mexico, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019, at the Capitol during a private swearing in ceremony in Santa Fe, N.M., as her sister-in-law Sandra A. Grisham, a retired state District Court judge, watches.(Photo: Luis Sánchez Saturno/AP)

Another education hype

The governor eliminates PARCC testing. Until we create a student-centric model where mastery instead of merit is the goal of education, this is just another hype to ensure that low-performing educators and policymakers throughout the entire bureaucracy keep their jobs. Kids did not elect the governor, but their ability to succeed in the future depends on her.

The big solution in Santa Fe is developing the pre-K model, but what about the kids who are in K-12 now? That is 13 years of graduates that they really have no plan for except to come up with some new testing drama that still is more about teachers keeping their jobs than kids succeeding in the real world of tomorrow.

Reference "The Testing Charade" by Koretz, "The One World Schoolhouse" by Sal Khan and "Disrupting Class?” by Christensen. I once again have asked Rep. Ferrary for readings she suggests from her committees that would help us, the funders of schools, to understand their thinking. The only material she offered me in the past was “Surpassing Shanghai” by Tucker. After I read it I asked her what they got out of it and was told me they really did not get much out of it. Well, what are they basing their thinking on?

Teacher colleges will depend on knowing this so they can prepare the facilitators of learning for the education world of tomorrow.

Rob Wood

Las Cruces

End birthright citizenship

The USA is the only nation that still grants birthright citizenship to the new-born of illegal aliens, which prevents deportation. All other developed nations in the world have revoked birthright citizenship. Yet, the news media and politicians continue to ridicule comments by other politicians that it is time for the U.S. to put an end to birthright citizenship for tourists and illegal aliens.

There used to be many developed countries that granted their citizenship as freely as we do in the USA but one by one they all have recognized the folly of birthright citizenship. These countries include Canada 2009, Australia 2007, New Zealand 2006, Ireland 2005, France 1993, India 1987, United Kingdom 1983, and Portugal in 1981.

Australia’s birthright citizenship requirements are more stringent than HR 1868 “Birthright Citizenship Act” which has gathered dust for several sessions of Congress.

Only the USA values its citizenship so lowly as to bestow it promiscuously to the offspring of foreigners visiting Disney World on tourist visas and to foreigners who overstay their visitor, work and student visas to remain in the country, as well as to those who sneak across our borders.

It's not just Mexico and South America who are sending illegals across our borders. The US Customs and Border Protection Service reports that most illegals caught crossing the border come from China.

We must wake up and end birthright citizenship for tourists, foreigners and illegals, when neither parent is a US citizen. By continuing to do so, we are giving away our culture, and economic and fiscal strength because our borders are not secure and we irresponsibly bestow citizenship.